If you are lucky enough to be passing by the Old Greenwell Farm on a Thursday between 10-1 stop by to see the Kona Historical Society “Living History” demonstration. Go down in the field where you will see their wood-fired forno, an outdoor stone oven, they built in 2005 to bake Portuguese Bread the old-fashioned way.

Greenwell Farm’s Living History Display

The Portuguese from the Azores and Madeira started coming to Kona in the 1870s to work in the ranching industry in Hawaii. Where they settled they would build these stone ovens and bake their breads, soon they began baking and selling the breads to supplement their income.

Portuguese Sweet Bread hot from the wood fired oven Thursdays 10-1

It’s a great thing to see this artful process and witness the excitement on the faces of those waiting for the freshly baked warm bread straight from the outdoor oven. A splendid delight with a pat of butter a tasty part of Hawaiian History.

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The Kona Historical Society offices, H.N. Greenwell Store, and the Portuguese stone oven are all located on Mamalahoa Highway (Highway 11), about 14 miles south of the town of Kailua-Kona, between mile markers 111 and 112. Look for our sign on the makai (toward the ocean) side of the road. GPS: N19° 30.647 W 155° 55.225

Missionaries taught quilting to the women of Hawaii who transformed it into a uniquely Hawaiian art form. The mild weather allowed far more time for details appliqué and quilting. Since one was not dependent on the quilt for warmth quilting was seen more as a leisurely activity that can be a good thing because it takes many months of hand stitching to complete.

Quilt motifs are drawn from forms of favorite plants. Hawaiian quilts typically have a central appliquéd motif and the stitch pattern often echo that design. The pattern of quilting is often likened to the imprint left by a patterned beater on Hawaiian kapa.